The New Dino
by Griffin Stone
Summary: When the squad finds out that the new girl in school shares their dino-transforming ability, they invite her onto the team. However, as time goes on, they realize that not only is she not fully in control of her dino side, she is also harboring some dangerous secrets. (Part 1 of the Rilogy.)
1. Prologue

**A/N: This came out sort of abrupt, but I didn't know how else to introduce Riley. The following chapters will be longer. I don't know how long this story will go, or if it will turn into a series, so let's just see what happens.**

 **My Dino Squad fanfics are a slight AU, where Ms. Moynihan and Veloci are not "millions" of years old. Their ability to transform will be explained soon enough.**

* * *

Riley Nickels was the sort of person that just faded into the background. Even her introduction to the Kittery Point High School had a definite lack of fanfare, despite the fact that she was the first new kid to the school for the last three years.

Teachers tried for an enthusiastic response from the bowed head of brown hair, but after her mumbled introduction and shrugs to questions asked of her, they soon moved on.

With the exception of Ms. Moynihan, of course. Never one to back off from a challenge, the scientist-turned-teacher made it her personal mission to get the girl to open up.

She used subtler means in her attempts. Rather than try to get Riley to answer her questions in class, she left the silent girl to herself in the public of her peers, and approached her after classes.

"Riley, a moment, please," Ms. Moynihan said one day as her students filed out.

Riley quietly went to Ms. Moynihan's desk, walking slowly as if about to face an awful torture. Ms. Moynihan simply smiled and got right down to business.

"Riley, I can't help but notice your interest in today's class." Ms. Moynihan opened the book she had been using that day, displaying pictures of dinosaurs.

Riley shrugged, glancing toward the door with an expression of disinterest, but Ms. Moynihan could see her side-eyeing the book.

"Would you like to borrow it for the night?"

Riley looked quickly back at Ms. Moynihan at the suggestion. "Really? But it's your book."

Ms. Moynihan smiled. That was the most she had heard Riley say at once.

"It's from the school library, actually. But, I think you are responsible enough to take care of the book for one night."

"I do like dinosaurs…" Riley mumbled.

Ms. Moynihan held the book out. "Then go ahead. I too enjoy learning about our prehistoric friends. In fact, some of my other students are quite learned in dinosaurs as well."

Ms. Moynihan held back a chuckle at her personal joke. More like five of her students frequently turned into dinosaurs at will to protect the town from mutated dino-creatures unleashed by a mad-man.

Not that she would say that out loud…

Riley finally accepted the book, mouth crooking up in the semblance of a smile. "Thanks, Ms. Moynihan. I'll take good care of it."

Riley darted out of the room before she could get a response.

"I know you will," Ms. Moynihan said anyway.

* * *

Riley trotted down the street toward her house, hugging the dinosaur book to her chest. She couldn't shake the smile from her face. Sure, she had dinosaur books at home, but this was one that she had never seen before.

Only a few blocks away from school, Riley paused on an empty street. She flipped open the book to a page of illustrations.

The page showed a Spinosaurus battling a T-Rex, and the other showed a pack of raptors. The text below explained the territorial ways of the larger dinosaurs, compared to the solidarity of the raptor pack who worked together to survive.

Riley ran her fingers across the page. "Imagine if dinosaurs roamed the earth again…" She chuckled. "Wow, what could possibly go wrong with that?"

She lifted her eyes, imagining the Spinosaurus in front of her. Out of all the dinosaurs she knew, the Spinosaurus was her favorite. They had been amazing swimmers, fast, and powerful enough to take on a T-Rex.

After a moment of daydreaming, Riley became aware of an itchy feeling on her arms. She absently rubbed at the spot, then her eyes widened. Hurriedly, she set the book on a trash can, then checked to ensure no one was around.

Within seconds, her skin toughened and melded with her clothes. Her fingers and toes blended into clawed paws. Her face stretched, hair disappearing into a dark frill.

Once the transformation was complete, Riley gave her new dino body a shake. She crooked her tail around her legs.

" _Whoops,"_ Riley thought, giving a very toothy grin.

* * *

 **A/N: Any guesses on her dino type? I'll tell you now, its not a Spinosaurus. Her love for them is simply a reflection of my own.**


	2. Dino in the Alley

**A/N**

"Regular speech."

 _"Thoughts."_

 ** _"Dino telepathic communication"_**

 **"Roaring -understood by others in dino mode in earshot-**

* * *

Fiona was late. Again.

Roger liked to point out how ironic it was that Fiona, the girl who loved all things fast, was in a perpetual state of being late. Late to school, late to meetings, anything one could be late to, Fiona had done it.

On this particular day, the squad was meeting in the lighthouse. Ms. Moynihan had requested they all come for some sort of announcement. Fiona had gotten caught up in the mechanics lab, and could easily picture the ribbing she was in for upon arrival.

Fiona took a shortcut along an old street where the business had closed. As she ran past the abandoned buildings, something at the edge of an alley caught her eye. She paused, and saw the object was a book sitting on a trash can.

"Hello?" Fiona called. "Is anyone there? You left your book here!"

Fiona peered into the dark alley, but saw no signs of anyone. She turned back to the book and opened the front cover.

"'Property of Kittery Point High School Library?' What's a school library book doing here?" Fiona checked the cover more closely. "Huh. Ms. Moynihan was using this book today. But how did it get here? Probably some boys playing a joke."

Fiona rolled her eyes as she tucked the book under her arm. She checked her watch, then hurried on down the street.

* * *

"Well, nice of you to join us, Fiona," Ms. Moynihan said when Fiona came up the lighthouse stairs. Her eyes gleamed with good humor.

"I got distracted in the mechanics lab," Fiona explained.

"Should have guessed," Max said with a smile.

Caruso took a step back. "How oily are your hands this time? Do you know what it took to take the oil out of my last jacket?"

"Five minutes," Buzz chimed in.

Caruso looked at him. "What?"

"More like five minutes, fifteen and three-quarter seconds -give or take a quarter," Roger amended. "I timed you."

Caruso merely crossed his arms and turned away. Ms. Moynihan shook her head fondly at the boy, then she noticed what Fiona was holding.

"Is that the school book?"

Fiona handed it over. "Yeah. I found it sitting on a trash can between here and school."

"A trash can?" Ms. Moynihan raised an eyebrow. "Odd. I gave it to Riley to borrow. I thought she would take better care than to just leave it laying outside."

"Riley? The new girl?" Max asked.

"Yes. In fact, she is the reason I called you five here today," Ms. Moynihan said, setting the book aside. "I would like you to try to get to know Riley."

"Um, she doesn't act like she wants to know us," Caruso pointed out.

"I tried to talk to her on her first day, but she totally ignored me," Fiona said.

"Hey, Riley's pretty cool," Buzz said.

Everyone looked at Buzz.

"What?"

"I haven't seen Riley talk to anyone. How would you know if she's cool?" Roger asked.

Buzz leaned forward conspiratorially. "I found out that she sometimes hides her pet mouse in her pocket during school. Cute little dude. Anyway, I mentioned that I like mice, and she turned into a whole new girl. Did you know she likes dinosaurs, too?"

"You didn't say anything, did you?" Max asked.

"Like what? That I can turn into one?" Buzz waved a hand. "No way. Talking about mice led to other small creatures that no one appreciates, like lizards. They just kind of got bigger from there. The point is, if you start off with something simple like pets and don't pressure her, Riley will open up."

"That's some good insight, Buzz," Ms. Moynihan said. "I noticed her interest in dinosaurs and hoped that lending her the book would open her up to me."

"And she left it laying around," Caruso said skeptically.

"I don't think I read her wrong," Ms. Moynihan said. She took a seat, frowning pensively. "Why would she leave the book like that?"

"You don't think anything's wrong?" Max asked.

"I don't know what would. There hasn't been any-" Ms. Moynihan trailed off as she turned to the computer screens. "That's strange."

Roger went to stand beside her. He studied to computer screen, then frowned and sat at the desk.

"Roger? Ms. Moynihan?" Max asked. "Is something wrong?"

"The mutant scanner is picking up something odd," Roger answered, typing away.

"A mutant?" Buzz asked as the rest of the teens joined Roger.

"No. The alarm would have gone off. Something is showing dino traces, but it's like nothing I've ever seen. It might not have gone mutant yet," Roger said.

"We'd better check it out," Max said. "If it's something you don't recognize, we had better neutralize it before it mutates."

Fiona suddenly gasped. "That signal is coming from the alley where I found the book!"

"Riley!" Buzz said.

"You think something happened to her?" Max asked.

"I'm not sure, but you five had better hurry over and find out what that thing is and fast," Ms. Moynihan said.

The team wasted no time gathering de-oozers and racing their Tyrano-cycles to where the signal was coming from.

Max laid out the plan. "Buzz, you go dino and scout from above to see what it is we are dealing with. If there is a dangerous mutant, Fiona and I will go in first in dino mode. Roger and Caruso, go dino and wait out here in case whatever it is tries to make a break for it."

Buzz nodded and transformed into a pteranodon. He gave a screech, then flew up into the sky. He circled the alley and the overgrown yard surrounded by buildings. He saw some dumpsters, but nothing else. He landed back beside the others and transformed back.

"Nothing back there but old garbage," Buzz said.

"Must be a contaminated rat, or something," Roger said. "Easy."

"Easy? Not if it's a rat." Fiona shuddered, then a Spinosaurus was suddenly standing where she had been a moment ago.

"Aw, Fiona. What harm is a little rat?" Max asked.

Fiona snorted and lifted her pointy muzzle. She turned and made her way down the alley.

Max laughed as he hefted a chiller. "Come on, guys, no need to go dino for this mission."

Fiona stepped carefully into the overgrown yard, sniffing. She could spell the garbage in the dumpsters, but no animals. Weird. She stepped closer to a shadowed corner, where the overhanging roof would have hidden it from the sky.

Roger looked at his small scanner. "Whatever it is, it's coming from over there."

Fiona sniffed again. " _What's that smell? It's kind of familiar… that's a dinosaur!"_

Growling a warning to her friends, Fiona turned and used her tail to shove the dumpster away.

Whatever had been hiding gave a growl. It stepped slightly into the light, revealing a slim, two-legged form. Amber eyes gleamed in the darkness. Nimble paws clenched, and an especially large claw on the hind paws clicked with each step. A tail swished across the grass.

" **Velociraptor!"** Fiona roared.

Luckily, Fiona's large frame had hidden her teammates from view. At her roar, they immediately went dino and circled around.  
" _ **Veloci!"**_ Max said with an audible growl. " _ **It was an ambush!"**_

Roger and Caruso spun to face the alleyways leading into the yard, but none of Veloci's men appeared. Buzz took to the skies and saw the same clear path. Max wasted no time in lowering his head in a charge.

The Velociraptor screeched and leaped into the air. He landed on Max's head, then ran down his back to the ground, where Fiona confronted him with a roar.

But… that wasn't Veloci, Fiona realized. This one had orange and brown markings, and was slightly smaller. A second later, she realized that this Velociraptor was a female!

" _ **Guys, it's not-"**_ Fiona tried to say.

Max spun around, not paying attention to what Fiona was saying. He chomped at the Velociraptor, only to have her duck under his jaws. She gave an amused chirp, then started when Roger and Caruso turned to her. Roger tried to charge at her, but the Velociraptor dodged away, causing Roger to crash into a dumpster. She then ran over near Max. When Max lunged for another chomp and Caruso swung his tail at her, she jumped out of the way. Max barely managed to stop his bite, but Caruso wasn't fast enough to stop his tail. Max's legs were swept out from under him, and he crashed to the ground.

The Velociraptor chirped and hopped from paw to paw. She seemed to be mocking them, and Fiona was ready to join her.

" _ **Guys, this isn't Veloci,"**_ Fiona informed her teammates.

Max, halfway to his feet, gave Fiona a startled look. The others did the same, then turned to inspect the Velociraptor.

She had coloring the opposite of Fiona: light orange underbelly and darker above. Dark brown stripes crossed her back and the tops of her front paws. She had amber irises, and black where the whites were -like Max. A dark brown frill arched over the top of her head.

" **Hello,"** Fiona roared softly. " **Where did you come from?"**

The Velociraptor chirred, giving no real answer. She cocked her head at the squad.

" _ **Where and how?"**_ Roger wondered. " _ **She isn't like any of the other mutants we've seen so far. She a pure Velociraptor."**_

" _ **Like us? Or has Veloci actually made a Velociraptor?"**_ Buzz asked.

" _ **I doubt Veloci would let a dinosaur like her out of his sight. I'm still afraid this is a trap,"**_ Max said, eyeing the Velociraptor.

" _ **Calm down, Max,"**_ Roger said. " _ **It's probably just a lizard that was contaminated by a new batch of ooze, and that's why the readings were strange."**_

" _ **All the more reason to de-ooze her as soon as possible,"**_ Max said, still watching the Velociraptor. He turned to Buzz, who had landed during the conversation. " _ **Buzz, go get the-"**_

" **Excuse me. I know you're talking about me,"** the Velociraptor said. " **It's not nice to talk about someone when they can't hear you."**

Max's jaw hit the ground. Literally. He hadn't stood up fully yet, and he was so shocked by the Velociraptor speaking that his paw slipped and his head jolted against the ground.

The Velociraptor ran over to Max, an expression of concern on her face. " **Oh, sorry! I didn't mean to startle you like that."**

" **You can talk?"** Roger asked.

The Velociraptor rolled her eyes. " **Duh."**

Max finally got back to his feet. He cocked his head at the little dinosaur in front of him. " **Are you a real dinosaur?"**

" **See previous answer,"** the Velociraptor responded.

" **What he's trying to say is… uh… how long have you been like this?"** Fiona tried.

The Velociraptor's eyes narrowed. " **Why?"**

" **It's a simple question,"** Caruso said, stepping closer. " **How long?"**

" _ **Caruso, don't push it,"**_ Fiona said.

The Velociraptor started backing away. She was blinking rapidly now, and her hind paws scuffed against the ground.

" **I-I should go,"** she said, starting to turn.

" **Can't you stay?"** Fiona asked.

The Velociraptor rubbed her face with a paw. " **No, I need to go."**

Max ran in front of her before she could run off. " **Why won't you answer us?"**

" **Get out of my way!"** the Velociraptor screeched, all good humor gone. Her eyes clenched shut, and her paws raised to press against them.

" _ **Buzz, get the de-oozers,"**_ Max ordered. " _ **We need to de-ooze her before she gets away!"**_

" _ **On it!"**_

But, in the moment that Buzz opened his wings, the Velociraptor's eyes snapped open. The amber of her irises had completely disappeared, leaving only black eyes. They fell on Buzz getting ready to take off. She screeched again and rushed forward, jaws gaping.

" _ **Hey, what-"**_

Buzz flapped hard to get out of reach, but the Velociraptor leaped into the air. Her jaws snapped shut on Buzz's right wing. Buzz gave a shriek of pain and fell back to the ground.

" **Get away from him!"** Roger bellowed.

He lowered his head and rushed at the Velociraptor, who was forced to let go of Buzz's wing to leap out of the way. Roger snorted and stood between Buzz and the suddenly raging dino. Max roared and went for the Velociraptor, but she was too fast. She dodged his bites and charges, leaping in on occasion to nip his paws.

" _ **A little help?"**_ Max grunted.

Caruso rushed in, but the Velociraptor evaded his attempts as well. Fiona stood back, waiting for a clear opportunity. Buzz had climbed onto Roger's back, where he hunched painfully over his injured wing.

" _ **I'm getting Buzz out of here,"**_ Roger said. " _ **Cover us, Fiona."**_

Fiona nodded and stood between Roger and the fighting dinosaurs as the Triceratops started back down the alley. The Velociraptor turned and noticed his leaving. She ducked away from Max and Caruso, causing them to butt heads and stun each other, then raced towards Fiona blocking the alley.

" **Stop this! What's wrong?"** Fiona called as the Velociraptor got closer.

The Velociraptor only gave a meaningless roar. She was getting closer, and Fiona was afraid she would dodge past her and down the alley. Fiona really didn't want to hurt the smaller dinosaur, but Buzz was at risk!

Fiona turned, making as though she was going to abandon the fight. The Velociraptor roared and went to leap over her tail.

" _ **I'm sorry, little one."**_

Fiona's tail whipped up, catching the Velociraptor around the middle. She gave a startled squawk, then the force of the swing caused her to crash into a wall. She fell to the ground and didn't move.

Fiona stepped carefully closer and nudged the Velociraptor with her nose. When she didn't move, Fiona turned back to where Max and Caruso were standing unsteadily.

" _ **Where did she go?"**_ Max asked, then noticed the Velociraptor.

" _ **What happened to her? She was doing fine, but then she just went crazy when we insisted she stay."**_ Fiona said.

None of them had an answer. Crashing footsteps made them turn. Roger had returned to the yard with Buzz. Roger was carrying the duffel bag of de-oozers that had been tossed into the alley when the team transformed.

" _ **Are you alright, Buzz?"**_ Max asked.

Buzz shook his head, delicately touching the injury with his beak. He winced. " _ **I'll live, but I don't think I can fly back."**_

" _ **Don't transform back to human yet,"**_ Roger warned. " _ **Not until we have medical supplies. In our dino form, we can handle injures better than our human form."**_

Caruso and Max turned into humans and picked up the de-oozers. Fiona stepped back to let them near the Velociraptor, keeping a close eye on the unconscious dino in case she started to wake up. While Caruso chilled the dino, Max called Ms. Moynihan.

"We didn't find any signs of Riley, but there was a Velociraptor here that must have scared her off," Max said.

"A Velociraptor?"

"Yeah. She's not a regular mutant. She was talking to us. It was fine, but then she seemed to suddenly go wild and attacked us."

Ms. Moynihan's voice suddenly turned urgent. "Did her eyes go completely black?"

"Uh, yes, actually. How did you know?"

"I'll explain later. Have you de-oozed her yet?"

Max lifted the spiller. "Not yet. Buzz was injured, too. We need the SUV, because he can't fly back and we are afraid the injury will be worse in human form."

"I'll be there as soon as I can. Just get that Velociraptor neutralized."

"Will do, Ms. M."

Max activated the spiller. It sucked up the condensation melting on the dino's body, but she held her form.

"Wait, what?" Max tried again, but the Velociraptor's form still didn't change.

Fiona turned human and walked to the Velociraptor's side. "Is she a full-blooded dinosaur?"

"Most likely not. She must have been contaminated with ooze similar to us," Max said, going to Fiona's side.

"But we were the only ones who swam in the tide pools," Fiona said.

"Maybe someone came along later." Max shrugged. "However it happened, how did we never pick up her signatures?"

"I think the better question is, what do we do with her now?" Caruso asked.

"I think that is rather obvious," Fiona said. The boys looked at her. "We take her to the lighthouse with us!"

"I guess there isn't really any other option," Max admitted. "Roger, do you have room for one more?"

Roger nodded. Buzz shifted to perch on his frill. Roger then knelt so Fiona and Max could lift the Velociraptor -who was barely bigger than Max- onto his back.

Caruso shook his head while he watched them. "Sure, let's bring the unpredictable dino that we have never seen before to our hideout. What could possibly go wrong?"


	3. Meeting the Squad

Riley shifted groggily. Something was off, but she couldn't remember what it was. Her hands -no paws- clenched something scaly tucked against her belly.

" _Must have fallen asleep,"_ Riley decided.

Falling asleep in dino mode wasn't entirely unusual for Riley. There was a reason she had a super-size, steel-reinforced bed. It sometimes happened if she was stressed out, as going dino was calming for her.

Riley couldn't remember what had upset her before falling asleep, but was distracted when she realized she wasn't in her bed. The ground under her was hard, and she leaned against something large and yielding. When Riley shifted, something like a tail curled around her and warm breath huffed against her head.

" _Father!"_ Riley thought happily, opening her eyes. " _He almost never-"_

Riley's thoughts came to an abrupt halt as she opened her eyes to the orange Spinosaurus from the alley. They were both laying on the ground in a garage, with the larger dinosaur wrapped around Riley.

" **Don't panic,"** said the Spinosaurus before Riley could even move. " **We're your friends. I'm Fiona."**

Riley blinked nervously at the Spinosaurus. The name was familiar, but she was too distracted to think about it. She was starting to remember more from the alley. She had lost control, and had a fuzzy memory of attacking the pteranodon.

" **The pteranodon. Is he okay?"**

" **He will be. Why did you attack him?"**

" **I can't help myself, I'm sorry."** Riley stood, glad when Fiona didn't try to stop her. " **I should go, before I hurt anyone else."**

" **Please don't go. The others want to help, and we have a good friend who might be able to help you."**

" **I… I don't know."**

Fiona stood and walked over to where there were spiral stairs leading up. She cocked her head at Riley, then carefully made her way up the stairs that were obviously made for creatures much smaller than her. The stairs creaked loudly, but held her weight.

Riley shifted uncertainly. She could see the large garage doors on one wall, and probably could get them open before Fiona could catch her. But would the doors even lead outside? Besides, she wanted to know more about the dinosaurs from the alley, and where they had taken her.

Curiosity finally prompted Riley to creep up the stairs after the Spinosaurus. They reached the next story, where there were three teenage boys waiting.

" _She's making sure the boys are safe in case I go full feral again,"_ Riley thought, realizing now why Fiona had gone up the too-small stairs.

Riley turned back to the boys, and realized she recognized them as Max, Caruso, and Roger from school. She cocked her head. What were three boys, who had very different interests, doing together after school? She had seen them hanging out at school, but assumed it was for school projects. It had always been them, a boy named Buzz, and… Fiona.

Riley turned to the dino-Fiona. The Spinosaurus' colors were close to the clothes Fiona normally wore.

" **You aren't always a dino, aren't you?"** Riley asked.

Fiona ducked her head. " **You catch on quick."**

Riley turned back to the boys. By matching color schemes with clothing and hair, and personalities of the brief bit she had seen in the alley to the boys from school, she determined that Max was the T-Rex, Caruso was the Spinosaurus, and Roger was the Triceratops.

" **Where is Buzz? That's who the pteranodon was, right?"** Riley asked, making Fiona's eyes widen in shock.

" **How do you know about Buzz?"**

" **I've seen you five before."**

Fiona studied Riley for a moment. She transformed into a human, startling the boys.

"Fiona, we agreed," Max complained.

"She already knew who we were," Fiona said. She went back to the steps and called up, "Come on down, you two. She already knows."

Buzz came down the steps in human form. His right arm had a bandage on it -further proving Riley's theory-. Behind him was... Ms. Moynihan?

Riley turned her head to Fiona, who went dino so they could communicate again.

" **Can Ms. Moynihan transform, too?"**

Fiona hesitated, but answered. " **Yes. Her story's a little more complicated, though. What happened to you?"**

Riley stared up at Fiona. She sounded sincere… but her father's warning to never reveal her secret rang in her head. Should she trust the kids from school she barely knew, or her father that she rarely saw but had her best interests in mind?

Her brain wrestled for an answer. Instinct told her to trust the teens, but past experience was telling her not to. Her ears buzzed, and she shook her head nervously.

"Woah, calm down," Ms. Moynihan said, coming closer.

" **Stop her!"** Riley roared.

She shook her head again, but could feel her coherent thoughts blurring. Fiona moved to stand between her and the humans, a growl rumbling in her throat.

Riley looked frantically around. With the last bit of her self-control, she turned and ran straight into the nearest clear wall. Pain shot up her snout as she stumbled back, but her emotions were calming down.

" **It's fine, now,"** Riley said with a sigh.

" **What happened?"**

" **I almost went full feral."**

" **Full feral?"**

" **It's what I call it when I lose control of myself. My dinosaur instincts go into overdrive, and I can't function. I usually attack anyone nearby. If I start to go crazy, just hit my nose."** Riley shifted, uncertain about revealing anything, but figured the others should know in case something happened. " **Not too hard, or else that makes it worse. If it's just enough to startle me, I usually get control back."**

Ms. Moynihan, seeing it was now safe, stepped out from behind Fiona. "Oh, dear. I was afraid of that."

"What?" Max asked.

"Sometimes the dino gene reacts strangely to a person's DNA. It makes a prominent dinosaur gene. It can cause the person to revert to a dinosaur's mindset, not allowing them to think or act straight. The animals mutated most often suffer from this dinosaur gene, since they are already wild animals relying on instinct."

"How do you know if the person has this reaction?" Roger asked. "Do any of us have that side-effect?"

"One thing that has been a constant for this reaction," Ms. Moynihan paused. "It causes the whites of their eyes to turn black while a dinosaur. I suffer from that, and so does Victor."

Riley turned to Fiona. " **Who's Victor? Another person on the team?"**

" **More like our worst enemy. Victor Veloci."**

" **You know Veloci?"**

" **Yeah, he's kind of the one who did this to us with his primordial ooze, though he doesn't know it yet. Why? Do you?"**

Riley shrugged. " **Who doesn't? He is only head of the largest corporation of biological advancements."**

" **Believe me, he does a lot more than that."**

"What a second. Black eyes?" Roger said.

Ms. Moynihan nodded slowly. Roger, Caruso, and Buzz looked at each other, then toward Max. Max saw them staring, then his eyes widened.

"Wait, do I have that weird gene thing, too?"

"I'm afraid you do," Ms. Moynihan said. "I've kept a close eye on you from the start, and haven't seen any signs of the reaction, but it is there."

"You mean I could lose it like she did?" Max asked, pointing to Riley.

"You have a strong will and loyalty to your teammates. I think that would be enough to keep you from doing anything that could potentially harm them."

"Have you had any problems with the gene, Ms. Moynihan?" Roger asked.

"When I was first learning to transform, yes. I haven't had any trouble in the last twenty years, but I also rarely take my dinosaur form."

"So if she was contaminated at the same time as us, that batch must have had the strain of ooze that carries that affect," Roger said.

Riley looked around while the teens and Ms. Moynihan discussed her ability to transform. She knew perfectly well why she could transform, why did they insist on making such a big deal about it? She was distracted when Ms. Moynihan silenced the others and stood in front of her.

"Would you be willing to show us your human form? I won't pressure you if you don't want to." Ms. Moynihan pointed towards a door across the room. "If you want to leave now, none of us will stop you."

Riley stared at Ms. Moynihan. There was curiosity in her gaze, and sincerity. Would she really just let her walk away?

Riley took a few experimental steps towards the door. True to her word, neither Ms. Moynihan nor the teens tried to stop her. Fiona watched her sadly, tail drooping towards the floor.

She turned and reached a paw for the doorknob, then paused. The team had been so willing to show her their secrets… why should she act any different?

Riley closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then transformed into human. Gasps met her transformation. Riley turned, and saw dismay in the teens' eyes.

"What?" Riley asked, hunching her shoulders. "Expecting someone else?"

"No, it's not that, it's…" Ms. Moynihan frowned. "Oh, dear."

"It was too long ago. There was another batch!" Roger said.

Buzz walked over to Riley, who was getting increasingly confused as the team worked themselves up about something that she couldn't figure out. He lifted his good arm to put a hand on her shoulder.

"What they mean is, the reason we can go dino is because we accidentally swam through a batch of Veloci's -have you heard of him? He's not near as nice as he likes to pretend- ooze. But that happened last school year, before you came to Kittery Point," Buzz explained.

"We cleaned up that mess, but now we've got another one to worry about," Caruso said with a sigh.

"You don't understand," Riley said, giving the team pause.

"What don't we understand?" Roger asked.

"I didn't get this ability through an accident or experiment like you guys."

"You were injected with the gene on purpose?" Ms. Moynihan asked.

"No, it wasn't on purpose, either," Riley said. "I mean, it was unexpected, but it wasn't an experiment or…"

Everyone stared at Riley, only seeming more confused the more she tried to explain. She sighed and put a hand to her forehead.

"Let me start over." Riley lowered her hand. "I was born with this ability."


	4. Dino Origins

**A/N: This chapter finally explains how this AU is possible, and a silly headcannon about Veloci.**

* * *

Such silence fell after Riley's announcement, one could have heard a pin drop. Fiona's dino huffs were the loudest sound in the room.

Ms. Moynihan was staring at Riley in shock. Roger had that distant gleam he got when faced with a complex science problem. Max and Caruso were wearing expressions of confusion; the latter was staring at the ceiling, moving his lips and hands like he was trying to work out a difficult math problem in his head. Buzz looked at Riley with awe, probably envious about being born with the dino-changing ability.

Fiona was just numb. Less than a year ago, she didn't even realize that people like the squad existed. The teens were able to transform by accident, and Ms. Moynihan had once explained that she and Veloci had been the first to try the dino gene over twenty years ago. But that should have been the end of it!

Now, not only was there another teen with the transforming ability, she had been _born_ that way! Veloci apparently had his work recreated six years after Ms. Moynihan's disappearance.

"How does that work?" Caruso finally asked. "Did you hatch or…?"

"Caruso," everyone groaned.

"It's a reasonable question," Riley allowed. "I was born like normal, with my changing abilities showing up after my second birthday."

"But how is that possible?" Ms. Moynihan said. "I knew that Victor was low, but pressing such a… unique situation on two unsuspecting parents!"

"Father said they knew that my abilities would be a risk. Both my parents had this changing gene, so it passed on to me."

Once again, silence fell. Max's mouth opened and closed several times, before staring up at the ceiling.

"When did Victor inject others?" Ms. Moynihan said. "I thought that it was just him and I, and I destroyed our work."

"Father said that he and Mom were part of the Raptor Dyne corporation," Riley said. "They agreed to take part in an experiment. He never mentioned any others, if that is what you are worried about."

"What are your parents' names?" Ms. Moynihan asked.

Riley shook her head. "Father would be upset enough if he knew I showed my ability to anyone else in the first place. I'll keep your secrets, if you'll let me keep his."  
"I'd say that's fair," Ms. Moynihan said.

"What about your mom?" Buzz asked.

Riley looked at Buzz for a long moment, while everyone waited to see how she would respond.

"Her name was Riley as well. Father named me after her, when she caught ill soon after I was born. I never knew her personally."

Ms. Moynihan walked to Riley and put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry. I remember Riley. She was a smart and brave woman, with such a knowledge of dinosaurs."

"That's what Father says, when he is actually…" Riley shook her head. "What do you mean that you destroyed his work?"

Ms. Moynihan took a seat before responding. Fiona settled herself on the ground, and Buzz and Max went over to sit beside her. Riley sat beside Fiona's tail, gently stroking her scales.

"Victor and I grew up together," Ms. Moynihan began. "Sometime during high school, we came up with the idea of returning dinosaurs to the Earth. It was a silly joke at first, but as we got older, the more we wanted to do it."

"We researched and worked, eventually forming the base of Raptor Dyne mere months after our graduations. With funds and resources, we finally started to make big steps toward our dream. When we were twenty, we finally perfected the serum."

"Victor and I agreed to test the serum on ourselves, and no one else was allowed in our lab during the time. Obviously, Victor broke his promise."

"The first transformation was… difficult. Neither Victor nor I could control ourselves. It could have been disastrous if it hadn't been for our assistants. Riley was one of them, actually. They rushed in managed to calm us with their presence and words, allowing us to turn human again."

"After the first change, I didn't want to do so ever again. Victor managed to convince me to try again, and we learned to control the dinosaur side."

"The experience had affected me, though. I researched and tried to determine what would happen if Victor's and my dream really did become true." Ms. Moynihan shook her head. "Long story short, it could very likely be the end of humans. There are animals, plants, even viruses -as Max can attest to- that would only spell disaster to humans."

"I tried to get Victor to understand the reality of what would happen if we continued our work. I'm not sure if it was the over-mutated dinosaur gene or if Victor really thinks that dinosaurs really should reign again, but he has never seemed to understand the severity of this foolish idea."

"Once I realized that Victor would never give up, I destroyed all of our work. Brilliant scientist or not, he always has had a poor memory. I left and went into hiding, hoping that Victor wouldn't be able to revive his work."

"But if he knows the serum, how come he hasn't affected the whole earth yet?" Roger asked.

"Riley's parents must have been injected before the work was destroyed," Ms. Moynihan mused. "Your contamination was apparently an accident that Victor hasn't traced back to a specific batch."

"Wait," Caruso said. "You're the same age as Veloci?"

Riley and the rest of the squad turned to Caruso in confusion. Gradually, their expressions turned to startled as they realized something that had never occurred to them before.

"Ah, yes, I guess I never mentioned that other side-affect," Ms. Moynihan said. "Soon after leaving Raptor Dyne, I realized that, as some effect of the serum, my aging has been sped up. Victor and I are both in our forties."

"And that's why he's never found you?" Max asked. "You are older than he thinks you are?"

"Yes. Victor's not _that_ entirely oblivious," Ms. Moynihan said. "It helps that I have moved several times since then, to keep my rapidly rising age from drawing attention."

Fiona unconsciously gave a distressed rumble. That meant that Ms. Moynihan would be in the equivalent of her sixies. Maybe more, if her lined face and subtle way she shifted her weight onto her staff if she stood too long was any indication.

"It's fine, Fiona. If it wasn't for that, I could not live such a public life," Ms. Moynihan comforted. "Thus, I would never have met you five -six- teenagers."

"Is there some way-" Roger started, but Ms. Moynihan raised a hand.

"I've determined that it is the lingering effects of the procedure we used to make the dinosaur DNA useable in the serum. The only solution I can see is removing the dino genes."

"And we've gotten nowhere with that," Roger said with a sigh.

"Why would you want to stop turning into dinosaurs?" Riley spoke up. She immediately ducked her head when the others looked at her, finishing in a mumble, "I mean, it's pretty cool."

"Besides the effects like Ms. Moynihan's aging and that over-mutated gene, we need to get rid of Veloci's mutating once and for all," Max said.

"Not to mention that Max would rather be a quarterback," Caruso said, earning another groan.

"That was when it first happened," Max protested.

Ms. Moynihan waved a calming hand. "The team has come a long way since then. Admittedly, it would probably be for the best if we could prevent Victor from mutating any more innocent creatures."

"But if he's come back from one time of losing all his work, he probably will again," Roger said. "He would have even more safe-guards in place this time as well."

Buzz leaned back against Fiona. "Well, we've done pretty good so far at keeping Veloci from going all 'dino-earth' on us. We can handle him until you come up with a plan."

"Gee, thanks for the confidence and peer pressure," Roger said.

"Anytime."

Riley suddenly leaped to her feet. "Oh, no!"

Everyone stood quickly, looking around for a threat. Fiona growled as she sniffed the air.

"If forgot about Father! He expects me to let him know if I'm going to be late after school," Riley said. She ran for the door, then paused with her hand on the knob. "Do you… mind if I stop by after school tomorrow?"

The squad was startled by the request, though Max quickly recovered to respond.

"Of course! It's not every day that we come across another kid like us."

Riley smiled and dropped her head, then darted outside without another word. The teens stood in silence.

"Do you think she will really come?" Buzz finally asked.

"I hope so. Anyone else willing to help fight Veloci will be well welcomed," Max said.

"As do I," Ms. Moynihan mused. "I am curious on how she has remained secret from us for so long."

Fiona strode over to a window to watch Riley run down the driveway. It would be nice to have another girl on the team -one that could go dino, that is. And there was something else about her…

Fiona had a strange sense that the new girl to school wasn't telling them something big.

* * *

 **A/N: It makes sense that dinosaurs have a strong instinct, and that the teens would have that in dino mode as well, right? And like Max has the feral gene, Fiona has the stronger instincts.**


	5. Helping the Squad

**A/N: I kid you not. There is a town in Maine called Farmington. To anyone who might know what that area looks like in reality, I've never been there.**

 **I feel like this chapter moved rather fast, but the episodes always went that way as well. There will only be two or three more chapters left.**

* * *

From the startled looks on the face of the other teens when Riley knocked on the lighthouse door the next day, they must have thought that Riley wouldn't take them up on their offer.

Truthfully, Riley almost hadn't. She had gotten in trouble with her father, who said he had been frantic when she was reported missing. Not police-reported, of course, but reported by her caretakers.

One small bit that Riley had left out of her story -one of many, really- was that her father was still at Raptor Dyne headquarters in Boston most of the time. He hired housekeepers and others to make sure Riley went to school, did her homework, ate, etc. The most she saw of her father was his stern face on a video screen.

Nevertheless, as she laid in her oversized bed that night, staring at the glow-in-the-dark stars that somehow always ended up on the roof of her room, she came up with a plan to continue meeting up with the teens like her.

She told her father that she was joining an after-school group that studied dinosaurs and prehistoric life.

It was basically the same thing, just without the fact that the group were studying, in essence, their own selves.

Since her father was so enthused about prehistoric life as well, he allowed her permission to continue meeting with the "after school group."

And that was how, at 2:30 the next day, Riley was walking into the lighthouse.

"Hey, Riley!" Buzz greeted, waving his good arm.

Riley smiled at the boy. To cover up the real reason of his injured arm, Buzz had told people that he had "been bitten by a wild animal." The details changed with every telling, so even when Buzz threw out a Velociraptor attack, the kids had only laughed at his wild story.

Buzz was accompanied on the couch by Fiona and Caruso. Max, having been the one to open the door to Riley, invited her inside. Roger and Ms. Moynihan were leaning over a computer, neither acknowledging Riley's presence yet.

Riley hesitated in front of the couch, nervously tugging on her brown military-style cap. "Hi, guys."

Fiona and Caruso greeted Riley.

"Hey, do I hear Carl?" Buzz asked before Riley could get any more nervous.

Instantly, Riley relaxed as she moved her hand to the pocket of her tiger-stripe jacket. She reached inside and pulled out a small, brown-and-white mouse.

"This is Carl, the little dude I told you guys about," Buzz said.

Fiona's smile looked a bit forced as she said, "Yeah, cute."

"Don't like mice?" Riley asked.

Fiona waved her hand in an "it's iffy" gesture. "I can take one little mouse like that. If he starts calling any friends, though, I'm outta here."

Riley laughed with the other teens, only to pause a moment later. After only a day, she was already comfortable enough with them to laugh at their jokes? It was an odd -but definitely welcome- change from her old schools, where she went from day to day with her head down to avoid notice.

Ms. Moynihan finally looked up at the laughing. Tense worry showed on her face for the briefest instant, quickly covered up by a smile.

"Oh, Riley, I was hoping you would join us today," Ms. Moynihan said.

Riley shrugged. "It's not every day that I get to hang out with kids like me. Do you use your transforming often?"

"We try not to," Max said. "Ms. Moynihan has a barrier around Kittery Point that prevents Veloci from picking up our signatures if we transform around here, but there's always the risk of our being spotted, and Veloci finding out."

"Father feels the same way about me," Riley said. "He doesn't want others to know about me."

"You won't get in trouble with this, will you?" Buzz asked.

"No. I told him I was joining a group who studied prehistoric life." Riley shrugged. "It seems pretty close to me."

"Maybe one day, we could introduce him to our group," Ms. Moynihan suggested.

"No!" Riley blurted, then immediately regretted her outburst. "I mean… Father's always been a fan of the world domination of dinosaurs idea. I don't think it would be a good idea to even hint at you guys."

"Whatever you think is best," Ms. Moynihan allowed.

Riley nodded appreciatively, silently glad when Max changed the conversation.

* * *

Riley took to joining the squad every day after school. They spent a lot of time at the lighthouse, doing regular things -like homework- and definitely irregular activities -like dino snorkeling. Ms. Moynihan connected Riley telepathically to the team, so she often would talk with anyone in dino mode even after they had separated for the day.

She could usually bug the teens into telling her about the missions they had gone one, thrilling her with the danger they so often put themselves in. They hadn't gone on official missions recently, and Riley wasn't going to ask if she would go with them if they did.

Riley learned about the teens and their families, all while giving nothing on her own. She could see that this frustrated Roger and Caruso, but at least the others didn't show any irritation. Ms. Moynihan sometimes would stare at her for a few minutes, but Riley put it to the fact that, according to her father, she looked very much like her mother.

It never occured to Riley that her own family could impact the team in any major way, until the Saturday two weeks after meeting the other teens.

* * *

"Harold!" Riley yelled up the stairs from her basement room.

After a minute, the butler appeared at the top of the stairs. Slim and stern, the older man was often the person that Riley saw the most of. He was so familiar to Riley, that he was the only one who saw any boldness in Riley's human form.

"You didn't need to scream," Harold scolded. "You could have simply come upstairs."

"It's an emergency!" Riley said, tugging at the sleeve of her red blouse. "I can't find my other nice shoe. Did it get unpacked?"

"Try under the bed."

"Oh, thanks!" Riley said. "Hey, when's Father arriving again?"

Harold looked away. Recognizing the act, Riley sighed and went upstairs, thumping loudly on her single shoe with every other step.

"Your father was held back by important work at Raptor Dyne," Harold said, regret seeping into his words.

"I figured," Riley said, disappointed. "I've been here for three months. Has he even been to the house?"

"Not during this move," Harold said.

Riley huffed and stomped back down the stairs. "Then I'm changing and going to see if the school club is meeting today."

"Don't stay out too late," Harold said.

"Sure…"

Riley closed the door and leaned against it. Important work. He always had important work to keep him away. Why did she even bother? Giving another sigh, Riley changed into more casual clothes. She went to Carl's cage and reached in to pull out her pet, then froze.

Important work at Raptor Dyne. It wasn't just some meeting, Harold always gave the details if there were any to give. None meant some sort of experiment. And experiments, she had decided from listening to the squad's stories, meant mutating innocent animals.

Pulling her hand out, Riley began to pace.

Should she warn the squad about what was soon to happen? Until meeting the others, Riley hadn't given much thought to the experiments. They were just a distraction that kept her father away, but now…

Making a decision, Riley jerked on some shoes and grabbed her hat and backpack before running upstairs.

"Bye!" Riley yelled as she ran outside. Pounding down the street, Riley rummaged through her pack before pulling out the watch communicator. "Ms. Moynihan? It's Riley. Everyone needs to get to the lighthouse _now_."

* * *

Riley ran the whole way to the lighthouse, making it in about fifteen minutes. Max and Roger were already there -Max lived closer and ran faster, and Roger had stopped by to work. Fiona pulled up soon after with Buzz, and Caruso was final.

"Took you long enough," Buzz said when Caruso strolled in.

Caruso opened his mouth to defend himself, but Riley cut him off.

"Veloci's going to be mutating animals today."

Everyone looked quickly at Riley. Even Ms. Moynihan hadn't learned the cause of the urgent meeting, and now raised an eyebrow.

"I'm pretty sure it will be near a town called Farmington," Riley rushed on. "Father's been there for the last week doing observations, and today he had something super important going on."

"And… and you're okay with just telling us this?" Max asked, understandably shocked.

"Yes!" Riley looked down and wrapped her arms around herself. "I don't like that you have to put yourselves in danger so often. Will there be time for you to get the animals de-oozed before they mutate?"

"It's possible," Roger said.

"I'll start loading the SUV," Fiona said. She headed downstairs, with Buzz and Caruso behind her.

"I'll grab some scanners. The sooner we find the mutated animals, the better," Roger said, then started loading a pack with tech.

"Thanks for doing this, Riley," Max said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Riley shrugged away. "It's nothing. Can I come with you guys?"

Max hesitated. "It could get dangerous."

"I can handle it. I just want to help."

"You helped by giving us some warning," Ms. Moynihan pointed out.

"I want to do more." Riley met Ms. Moynihan's eyes. "Please."

"Well… I suppose I can't really stop you," Ms. Moynihan said.

"Thanks!" Riley said, bolting down the stairs.

She caught a glimpse of Max and Ms. Moynihan's bemused expression, and gave a slight sigh. They probably thought she was excited to be included in a mission.

Okay, there was a little bit of that.

But there was also a large amount of not wanting her friends to be hurt. She knew that if her friends were caught, they would be experimented so that Veloci could find out how they had gotten their abilities. She wasn't going to let that happen.

* * *

A couple hours later, the teens arrived outside of Farmington. Everything was peaceful and calm. For now, at least.

"I'm picking up traces of ooze," Roger said after checking his scanner. "About a half hour east."

"Whole lot of open land and animals out there," Max commented as Fiona turned down the eastern road. "If there's any ooze laying around out there, there will be some major contamination."

"Then it's a good thing Riley warned us," Buzz said.

Riley only shrugged without taking her eyes off the skies. In the open area, it would be easy to spot the Raptor Dyne trucks a mile away. It was the helicopters that had her concerned.

A half hour later, Fiona stopped beside a field. Aside from a flock of sheep near the fence line, there wasn't any living thing around.

"Is that what I think it is?" Riley asked, pointing to an orange puddle a yard inside the field.

"Yep. Ooze." Max hopped out of the SUV. "Let's get it cleaned up."

The teens piled out and grabbed a chiller or spiller, then climbed into the pasture. While Buzz and Riley cleaned up the ooze, Roger scanned for any more ooze signatures.

"I think that is it," Roger commented.

Caruso looked around. "I think this is the quickest, quietest mission we have ever been on."

"Score one for Riley!" Fiona cheered.

"Okay, okay," Max said. "Before we celebrate, Buzz, is your arm well enough to take a fly over to make sure the scanners didn't miss anything?"

"Sure thing."

Buzz handed the spiller to Caruso, then went dino. He stretched his formerly injured wing experimentally, then gave a screech. There was a collection of panicked bleats from the sheep grazing nearby.

Buzz quickly lowered his wings, but the sheep still scattered. All except for six, who stared at the teens.

"Uh, is it just me, or are those sheep glaring?" Caruso asked nervously.

"They're just-" Roger started, then hesitated.

The sheep had begun to writhe and stomp. They lifted their mouths in a bleat that rapidly turned into a roar. They grew in size until they were as tall as Fiona, their wool turned spiky and hard-looking, and their innocent little hooves became clawed paws.

"-mutating," Roger finished.

"Fiona, chill them!" Max said, lifting his own chiller.

But before either teen could pull the trigger, the mutated sheep gave a roar, then scattered.

"Get those sheep before they get loose!" Max yelled.

Buzz shrieked and took to the air. The other teens -Riley included- went dino.

" _ **You ready for this, Riley?"**_ Max asked. Riley nodded firmly. " _ **Okay, everyone get a sheep-a-saurus!"**_

Riley cocked her head, confused at Max's method. If everyone was getting a sheep, who was going to do the chilling and spilling? But, the other teens ran off without question.

Riley hesitated. She looked at the abandoned chillers and spiller, then her backpack she had dropped to transform and Roger's duffel. Then her gaze went to her flexible forepaws, and she grinned.

Buzz circled overhead. " _ **Riley, is something wrong?"**_

" _ **Nothing! Buzz, get down here for a second!"**_

While Buzz was landing, Riley stuffed a chiller and spiller each into the two bags. She picked up the duffel in her mouth and held it out to Buzz.

" _ **Yours and my form have the most flexible of paws. We can still work these in dino mode."**_ Riley explained.

" _ **Oh, I like what you're saying!"**_

Buzz accepted the duffel, then took to the air again. Riley picked up her pack in her mouth, then scanned the area.

Max and Caruso were chasing mutated sheep in circles. Roger was attempting to ambush a sheep-a-saurus, but it always saw him and leaped out of the way in time. Fiona's mutant had jumped into a lake, forcing her to swim after it. Buzz waiting in the sky with a chiller in one paw, but his readiness was useless unless a mutant would stay still under him.

" _ **No offense, but how did you ever get things done?"**_

Caruso stopped, panting from his running. " _ **What are you… talking about?"**_

" _ **You're all running around too indivdually. Even if one of you caught a sheep-a-saurus, how will you fix it?"**_

The other teens stopped chasing and turned to Riley in realization. Fiona climbed out of the pond and shook herself off. Free of pursuers, the mutated sheep flocked together a short distance away to watch.

" _ **Riley's got a point. We should be herding these sheep, not chasing them,"**_ Max said.

" _ **What do I look like, a sheepdog?"**_

" _ **Hm, maybe if you were a bit furrier,"**_ Roger joked, tipping his head.

Fiona stomped between the boys. " _ **Guys! Listen to Max."**_

Max studied to field and sheep for a moment before speaking. " _ **Fiona, you sneak around them. If they bolt, we'll need the fastest to cut them off. Riley, you go along with her to angle them toward the southwest corner of the pasture. Roger and I will flank them. Caruso, you wait at the corner in human for, then chill them and spill them once we have them there. Buzz, watch from above so that none of them sneak by."**_

" _ **If we need to, Buzz and I can work the chillers and spillers in dino mode,"**_ Riley said.

" _ **I think we won't need you to, but keep the de-oozers with you just in case,"**_ Max said.

" _ **Got it."**_ Riley said.

Fiona nodded to Riley, and they started heading in a wide arc to get behind the sheep-a-sauruses. Fiona got into position, with the mutated sheep glaring at her.

" _ **Let's start moving them. Slowly."**_ Fiona said.

Fiona and Riley slowly approached the sheep, who didn't move. Riley got within three feet, but they still refused to move. Growling a bit, Riley took a step closer.

Two of the sheep lunged, toothy mouths stretched wide. Riley reeled back, narrowly missing being bitten. She roared in fury and snapped back at them, barely noticing her dimming vision.

Then there was an accompanying roar, and Fiona stepped between Riley and the sheep-a-sauruses. The creatures roared in fright and scrambled back. Riley started and shook away the rage.

" _ **Are you alright?"**_ Fiona asked, having to have seen that Riley almost went full feral.

" _ **Yeah… yeah, thanks."**_ Shaking of the last of her shock, Riley gave a grin. " _ **It's the first time mutton's ever tried to bite back!"**_

Fiona grinned back, then both females turned their attention back to the sheep-a-sauruses. This time, they threw gentle to the wind and charged the mutants, who gave a bleat/roar of panic and stampeded in the proper direction. Max and Roger joined in the chase enthusiastically, and the squad managed to get the mutated sheep into the corner.

Luckily, there was enough sheep instincts intact that they didn't seem to realize that they could easily break the fence, or else Caruso would have been trampled.

While the transformed teens kept the mutants in place, Buzz swooped down the chill the sheep and Caruso spilled. Moments later, terrified sheep were huddled against the fence. The teens turned dino stepped back and let them dash away.

" _ **Haha, look at them go!"**_ Buzz said with a telepathic chuckle.

" _ **That was a good idea, Riley,"**_ Max said.

Riley smiled at the praise. The next moment, the smile vanished as her ears picked up a thrumming sound. Was it…?

" _ **Veloci's copter!"**_ Fiona said, confirming Riley's fears.


	6. Dino Deception

Fiona growled at the sky. She could hear Veloci's helicopter fast approaching. She looked at the others, and was confused by the blind terror on Riley's face. Had their stories of Veloci scared her that bad?

" _ ** _ **Too late to transform now, he'll catch on,"**_**_ Max said, growling. " _ ** _ **Quick, make a break for those woods over there!"**_**_

" _ ** _ **What about Caruso?"**_**_ Riley asked.

" _ ** _ **We have system for emergencies like this."**_**_

Max gave two firm stomps. Caruso nodded, then started running for the SUV just as a large red helicopter appeared over the treetops. Giving a properly terrified scream, Caruso dived into the SUV and pretended to cower.

Fiona rolled her eyes at the over-the-top performance, then nudged Riley. The smaller dino jumped, then hurried to follow the other teens over the fence -an impressive feat for Roger- and toward the trees nearby. Buzz followed from the sky, though Fiona could see that his wing was hurting from so much use.

Max saw this as well, and paused to lay out a plan. " _ ** _ **Buzz, you can't fly much longer with your wing. Stay here and transform when it is safe, then get to Caruso. Riley, you do the same. Fiona, Roger, and I will distract Veloci."**_**_

" _ ** _ **I want to help, too!"**_**_ Riley protested, though her shaking frame said otherwise.

" _ ** _ **No, we're more practised with this. You need to stay here, where you will be safer."**_**_

" _ ** _ **But-"**_**_

" _ ** _ **Don't argue, just do what he says."**_**_ Roger snorted and pawed the ground when the helicopter hovered overhead.

" _ ** _ **We'll be fine,"**_**_ Fiona nuzzled Riley. " _ ** _ **Stay safe, and we'll meet you back at the SUV."**_**_

" _ ** _ **Okay… Promise you won't get caught?"**_**_

" _ ** _ **Promise."**_**_

Fiona ran off with Max and Roger. She glanced at the sky and was glad to see that the helicopter was following them. Veloci had always been slightly more obsessed with catching Max, so she was glad to see the temptation winning. Still, that didn't discount Veloci's men on the ground, who were sure to appear soon.

" _ ** _ **Split up and make sure they forget about Buzz and Riley,"**_**_ Max said.

Fiona and Roger split off. As Fiona figured, Veloci's helicopter continued to follow Max. Not like that meant that Fiona and Roger were safe. Half a minute later, roaring engines were heard, and a pair of Veloci's men on ATVs came up behind Fiona.

" _ _Like they can catch me,"__ Fiona thought, almost amused.

Without warning, Fiona dug in her claws to an abrupt stop. She spun around and roared. One of the men panicked and swerved. He crashed into a large bush and was catapulted over the top, somehow landing on his feet. The second man swerved off, but managed to stay in control. He circled around for another approach.

Giving a snort, Fiona turned and started running again.

In the open, Fiona was faster than the ATVs, but it was difficult to dodge the trees and run at any decent speed. The ATVs had to dodge the trees as well, but were somehow able to keep at a high speed. Fiona was forced to dodge and spin away to maintain her lead.

" _ ** _ **I've lost Veloci's men,"**_**_ came Roger's voice. " _ ** _ **I'm transforming back and getting out of here before they recover. Will you two be okay?"**_**_

Max answered. " _ ** _ **Yes, go ahead. Veloci's stubborn, but I might be able to lose him in a stand of trees near here. Fiona, how's it going for you?"**_**_

" _ ** _ **Veloci's men are especially persistent today. I can't run fast enough to shake this one."**_**_ Fiona gave an audible growl when the second ATV rejoined the current one. " _ ** _ **Ugh, make that two."**_**_

" _ ** _ **Do you need help?"**_**_

Fiona started, almost losing her balance as she made an abrupt turn. " _ ** _ **Riley! I thought you were back at the SUV by now."**_**_

" _ ** _ **I didn't want to until I knew you three were safe."**_**_

" _ ** _ **Riley!"**_**_ Fiona groaned. " _ ** _ **Transform back and get to the SUV! It isn't safe as long as you are transformed. We're lucky Caruso isn't transformed. Veloci would definitely notice a new perfect dinosaur."**_**_

" _ ** _ **It'll be fine, Fiona!"**_**_

Fiona shook her head at Riley's stubborness, then had to duck away from a blob of tar shot at her. She growled and turned toward an open pasture.

" _ ** _ **That's it! I'm going into the open to lose these guys!"**_**_

" _ ** _ **Careful, Fi. I lost Veloci, and I'm not sure where he went,"**_**_ Max warned.

" _ ** _ **I'll keep an eye out,"**_**_ Fiona said. She burst out of the trees, and took a second to glance at Veloci's men. " _ _Alright, let's see just how fast these guys think they are."__

Fiona stretched out into a run. The field was long and she could easily outdistance Veloci's men, but Fiona was also going in the wrong direction. She decided on a risky plan.

Fiona slowed her speed so she would keep just barely out of range of the tar guns held by Veloci's men. The men continued after her, thinking that they could actually be fast enough.

But, once Fiona had judged she had enough distance, she spun and ran at the ATVs. As she hoped, her approach was too abrupt for them to respond. She shot between them, laughing to herself at their confusion. She held nothing back now and left the ATVs in the dust.

" _ ** _ **It's Fiona. I've lost Veloci's men. I'll meet you back at- woah!"**_**_

Fiona dug in her paws as Veloci's helicopter appeared ahead of her. She turned, ready to make another run through the woods, but a third ATV roared into view.

" _ ** _ **Fiona! What's wrong?"**_**_ Max asked, sensing her panic.

" _ ** _ **N-nothing! Just a little setback."**_**_ Fiona jumped and spun as a pair of ATVs appeared behind her. " _ ** _ **Oh, great. Max, I'm surrounded!"**_**_

Fiona heard a distant dino roar. Max, raging that one of his teammates was in trouble. He was the only other dino Fiona could sense telepathically then, meaning the others had turned human again. A moment later, though, Roger's presence returned.

" _ ** _ **Max, what's wrong?"**_**_

" _ ** _ **Fiona's trapped!"**_**_

" _ ** _ **We're coming!"**_**_

Fiona sensed Caruso's dino presence join. Buzz didn't transform, for which Fiona was glad. He was in no condition to try and help. It was Riley's absence that worried Fiona.

" _ ** _ **Is Riley still at the SUV?"**_**_ Fiona asked, swiping a tail at one of Veloci's men who drove too close.

" _ ** _ **Don't worry about her,"**_**_ Roger responded.

That confirmed it for Fiona. " _ ** _ **She transformed, didn't she?"**_**_

" _ ** _ **... When we heard Max roar, she transformed and took off before we could stop her. She's not connecting with any of us, so we don't know for sure where she is."**_**_

Fiona was distracted from answering by a sound from behind. She turned and ducked away from a blob of tar aimed at her side. Then something landed across her back, dragging her to the ground. Fiona roared and struggled against the net that had dropped from Veloci's helicopter. Her whole body was trapped, but Fiona found the net giving slightly when she pushed. She braced herself to push again, when something heavy dropped on her head, then pushed off to land in front of her.

" _ ** _ **Veloci,"**_**_ Fiona said, growling. " _ ** _ **Guys, I hope your close! I'm stuck in a net, and Veloci's in dino mode here!"**_**_

" _ ** _ **Just hang in there!"**_**_

Fiona snarled at Veloci, who returned it with a screech. His men got closer to fully confine Fiona. She swung her tail as much as she could. They backed off, but Veloci snapped his jaws in her face. Fiona roared and shoved against her restraints, only to have Veloci leap onto her snout, pinning her head to the ground. Fiona thrashed uselessly, wincing when Veloci's large claws dug into her snout.

Suddenly, there was another screech. A blur of orange shot out of the trees, knocking a pair of men from their ATVs before launching itself at Veloci. Caught off guard, Veloci was thrown from his perch.

Fiona twisted under the net, unsurprised to find her rescuer to be Riley.

The younger dino was crouched in front of Fiona, growling at Veloci as he regained his paws. His eyes widened at the sight of Riley and he gave a confused growl. Fiona wondered if he knew one of his workers had a dino-transforming daughter.

After a moment, Veloci shook himself and started toward Fiona. Riley growled warningly, and stepped to intercept him. Veloci growled back. For a minute, the pair of Velociraptors stared each other down. Were they speaking telepathically, or simply seeing who would back off first.

" _ ** _ **Guys, where are you? Riley's here to help, but she's no match for Veloci!"**_**_

" _ ** _ **Give us a minute, we're almost there,"**_**_ Max assured Fiona.

Fiona turned her attention back to Riley. As twisted up as she in the net, Fiona knew she wouldn't be able to get free in time to help Riley if Veloci attacked. She needed to let Riley know the others were on their way, and she only needed to stall.

Fiona tried to connect with Riley, but found her attempts resisted. Odd, but maybe she was just wary of Veloci getting into her head. Which was, actually, impossible unless they had ever communicated before in dino mode.

Veloci lunged forward to snap at Riley, who simply jumped away. The distraction was enough, however, to let Fiona connect telepathically with Riley. As she did, Fiona found herself bursting into the conversation that Riley and Veloci had indeed been having.

What she heard was enough to shock her out of struggling and stare at Riley with gaping jaws.

Riley had just called Veloci "father."

* * *

 ** **A/N: So? What do ya think? Too predictable? The problem with being the author, is that the big reveals never seem that big. Just one more chapter, and maybe an epilogue.****


	7. Help from the Squad

**A/N: Look who's still alive! It took forever to get this final chapter done, but here it is!**

* * *

Riley hadn't felt Fiona connect telepathically until it was too late. She heard Fiona stop struggling, and felt a sense of shock shoot through her mind.

Her secret was out. Veloci, the squad's worst enemy, was her father.

But she couldn't dwell on the reveal. Veloci was desperate to catch one of the perfect dinosaurs, to reverse-engineer their DNA to reform the batch that he had once used on himself, and later re-created but mistook for a failed batch.

" _ **I won't let you take her,"**_ Riley said, bringing her attention back to her father.

Veloci snarled as he stepped closer. " _ **Stand aside! You shouldn't even be here, I've told you to keep your abilities a secret!"**_

" _ **How can I when I meet other dinosaurs, Father? Do you know how lonely I've been all these years?"**_ Riley narrowed her eyes. " _ **Right, how could you? You're never around."**_

Veloci screeched and leaped at Riley, who spun around and smacked him with her tail. He crashed to the ground and stumbled upright, eyes wide with shock.

" _ **Riley, I'm your father!"**_ For a moment, that frantic look and tone left Veloci as he gazed in confusion at Riley.

" _ **And yet, this dinosaur you're so intent to capture is more family than you."**_ Riley could feel Fiona's eyes on her as she dropped her defensive stance. " _ **Give up your search, Father. Come with me, and we can all learn about our abilities together."**_

Veloci stared at her. Fiona shifted behind her, and Riley hoped that she wouldn't try anything that would agitate Veloci. She could feel Max, Roger, and Caruso getting closer, but didn't want to try calling out to them yet.

" _ **Please, Father,"**_ Riley pleaded.

Veloci lowered his talons and blinked at her. For a second, Riley thought he would actually listen to her.

But then Veloci's gaze hardened. He gave an incoherent roar of fury and snapped his jaws.

" _Now I'm in trouble,"_ Riley realized.

Veloci had learned to control himself to not go full feral, but that didn't make him any less dangerous when he was mad. He let the dinosaur instincts make him faster, more agile, and less likely to hesitate, yet he still kept his reasoning.

Knowing she would be no match for her father, Riley ran. Veloci raced after her, leaving his men to finish securing Fiona.

" _ **Max, you guys free Fiona and get out of here! I'll meet you later!"**_ Riley called.

" _ **Riley, what are you doing?! Don't put yourself in any danger, we'll be right there!"**_

Riley frowned. Fiona must not have told them what she had learned; she had an idea that Max would freak out once he did. " _ **I'm sorry, but I can't wait."**_

" _ **Riley!"**_

Riley ignored the call and focused on running. She was no match for her father's speed, and hoped that her head-start would be enough. She soon reached the forest's edge and ducked inside without slowing. Veloci crashed after her, roaring wildly.

When Riley glanced back, she saw Veloci's eyes were slightly darker than before. She thought it was strange, but assumed it was just a trick of the light.

Riley turned her attention back ahead, just in time to see a branch right at head-level. Too late to duck, Riley ran full force into the branch. The impact was enough for her paws to slip out from under her, causing her to fall on her back. As she scrambled back upright, she heard Veloci come to halt. She spun to face her father, then stiffened.

Veloci's eyes had really been darkening. They were now as black as night. There was a trace of emotion on his face, save the savageness of a wild beast.

" _ **Father!"**_

Riley reached out to her father's mind. What she found made her gasp and reel back.

" _ **Enemy! Kill! Enemy!"**_

Riley's betrayal must have affected Veloci so much more than she had thought possible. He had actually gone full feral!

Riley started to reach out to the other teens, but hesitated. By now, Fiona would have told them her secret. She couldn't sense their presences any longer. They were probably long gone.

She was alone.

Taking advantage of Riley's distraction, Veloci lunged forward. Riley snapped back to the present just in time to dodge away from the attack. She scrambled onto a boulder for a height advantage and roared down at Veloci. He screeched back and leaped up to snap at her feet. Riley jerked away instinctively, then felt her paws fall on open air. With a startled screech, she toppled ungracefully into the brush.

Riley flailed to gain her paws. Veloci rushed around the boulder, dark eyes lighting up at Riley's helpless position. He rushed forward, jaws gaping.

With no time to roll away, Riley pulled her hind paws up over her belly and throat. A second later, deadly teeth chomped down on her right foot.

Riley's roar of pain echoed loudly through the woods. A rush of pain and anger flooded through her. Her left foot lashed out, catching Veloci's jaw with her large claw. Veloci squawked and jerked away, paws coming up to the long scratch.

Riley rolled onto her belly, but couldn't stand. Blood oozed from the teeth marks in her paw, and the pain was intense enough that Riley wondered if the bite might have broken a bone or two.

Still, there was no time to nurse her wounds yet. Veloci had already recovered and advancing for another attack.

When Veloci crashed into her side, Riley threw herself into a roll that got her right-side up again. She snarled at Veloci, silently hoping that he would just leave. Even if she wasn't already hurt, she didn't want to fight her father.

But Veloci didn't halt his attack. He slashed at Riley's muzzle with his claws, cutting two jagged lines down the side of her face. Riley screeched and snapped at his paws. She grabbed one, but the other slashed down the side of her neck. Riley jerked herself to the side and kicked Veloci in the stomach, releasing his paw as she did. He staggered backward, and Riley forced herself to her paws. Pain blazed in her injured paw, and she could feel a trickle of blood on her muzzle and neck.

Veloci growled and started to circle. Riley turned her head to follow him. Between pain and shock, she couldn't really convince her paws to move.

Never in a million years did Riley think her father would attack her. Sure, her father got mad and sent her to new, unfamiliar places, but he had never actually physically hurt her!

Riley's claws lowered. Her new friends were gone, and probably thought she was a traitor that had set them up to be caught. Her father was showing his true feelings toward her; if he really did care that much, he could have resisted going full feral.

Sensing weakness, Veloci rushed forward. This time, Riley didn't resist as she was knocked onto her back. She squealed and flailed her paws with little effort. Veloci dodged her claws easily, his own gouging into Riley's exposed belly. Pure instinct made her kick out.

Veloci was knocked away, winded slightly, but Riley could barely move. The act had jarred her injured foot so badly that, for a moment, her vision doubled. Pain flared up in the claw marks on her belly.

Riley growled sadly as Veloci recovered and started to approach. She couldn't fight back, she didn't want to fight back. What was the point? She was alone. Riley closed her eyes, accepting the inevitable.

In her stillness, Riley realized the ground was… shaking?

A bellow came out of nowhere. Riley's eyes shot open as Max raced out of the woods and collided with Veloci, taking them both to the ground. Roger was right behind him, hooking Veloci with his horns when he squirmed free. He tossed the raging Velociraptor into a tree, then Caruso came running out to pin Veloci to the tree with his spiked tail.

Orange paws appeared on the edges of Riley's vision. She weakly lifted her head to see that Fiona was standing over her.

" _ **Fiona?"**_ Riley said, positive she was imagining her rescue. " _ **But… But, I lied."**_

Fiona turned her head down, the snarl directed at Veloci melting into a soft look. " _ **We understand why you did what you did. You're our friend, Riley. We'd never leave you behind."**_

Riley blinked up at Fiona. She could hear Veloci screeching still, and the sound of the boys keeping him subdued. The sounds were almost distant, strangely, like it was coming from a long way off…

" _ **Riley! Riley, look at me!"**_ Fiona demanded, expression turning fierce.

Riley couldn't understand what was wrong. She felt weirdly, strongly tired, but put it to shock wearing off. Fiona's eyes flicked from Riley's face, then down. Curious, Riley lifted her weary head to see what had Fiona so concerned.

Oh, right. Velociraptor attack.

Riley eyed the large gash in her stomach, the blood on the ground beneath. She lifted her head, giving a faint whimper of pain.

" _ **It's going to be okay,"**_ Fiona said, thought the panic in her eyes said otherwise. " _ **Just keep your eyes open, got it?"**_

Riley tried to listen, she really did. But her eyelids were getting so heavy. Her body was full of pain, and she wanted to just give in to the exhaustion dragging her down.

" _ **Roger!"**_

Roger's head appeared beside Fiona's. They spoke for a second, then they were both calling her name. Riley blinked sluggishly at them, wondering why there was two of both now. She closed her eyes…

And opened them to a rapid rocking sensation. The forest was rushing by her, a loud crashing invaded her hearing. She shifted, and saw Roger's frill in front of her head. Roger was carrying her in a mad run.

" _ **Hang in there, Riley. We're almost there."**_ Roger didn't seem to care whether or not Riley responded, he just kept talking. " _ **We'll get you back to the lighthouse, and Ms. Moynihan will fix you up."**_

" _ **That sounds good,"**_ Riley said, causing a jolt of shock through her and Roger's connection.

" _ **That's it, Riley. Stay awake."**_

Riley sighed, her eyes drifting shut. Again with the demands to stay awake. She was tired, why wouldn't they leave her be?

Again, the world faded. Roger's shouts dimmed and disappeared.

When everything came into focus again, it was with a jar of pain. Riley roared in distress, eyes snapping open.

She was laying in the back of the SUV. The other teens were there in human form, though Riley was still in dino mode. Fiona and Buzz were in front of her, watching her apologetically. In their hands were wads of cloth. Caruso was leaning over the back seat, concern in his face for someone beside himself for a change. Max's hair was barely visible from where he sat in the driver's seat.

"Blood pressure's dropping," came Roger's voice from behind. Something pressed gently against Riley's neck. "Her pulse is speeding up. Stop the bleeding, guys!"

Buzz pressed the cloth against Riley's belly, causing a fresh wave of pain. Riley shrieked in agony, unable to tell Buzz to stop. Fiona grabbed her paws that she was unconsciously waving, and started wrapping some of the cloth around her dangerous claws.

"It's going to be okay," Fiona said soothingly.

" **It hurts,"** Riley growled.

"Sh, Riley. We're here." Fiona put a calming hand on Riley's muzzle. "Everything is going to be fine."

Riley groaned and dropped her head to the SUV floor. Fiona got down to her level to speak with her, speaking encouraging words in a croon that Riley didn't think she possessed.

Riley's not sure how long she laid their, clinging to the thread of consciousness Fiona won't let her let go of. Buzz finished bandaging her belly, then grimaced and demanded for more cloth from Caruso.

All Riley knows is that at some point, she took her eyes away from Fiona's frantic ones. She turned her head to gaze at the orange and pinks of the setting suns.

"Riley?" Fiona tried to turn Riley's muzzle back toward her, but Riley's eyes lost focus. "Riley! Max, hurry up, we're losing her!"

Riley's breath hitched. She lifted a fore-paw to rest on Fiona's shoulder. Fiona turned back to look at her.

" **Thanks…"** Riley shuddered and swallowed hard, determined to finish. " **Thanks for being my friend."**

Fiona couldn't have understood the words, but Riley's emotions were clear on her face. Fiona calmed a bit, and took her wrapped claws.

Riley tried to smile, but it came out more like a grimace. A pained growl that Riley had managed to suppress slipped out. Her muzzle thumped to the SUV's floor. The panicked cries of the others merged together in a confusing jumble that made Riley's head hurt.

"Riley!" Fiona's shout stood out from the others.

Riley only let out a tired growl. Her paw slipped off of Fiona's shoulder as the world faded around her, turning black before her claws could land.

* * *

Pain and confusion. That's all Riley felt for what seemed like eternity. Voices came and went, some familiar, some not. Once, she thought she heard Harold.

On occasion, her eyes opened to a blur of faces. Most often Fiona and Buzz, always Ms. Moynihan there someplace.

Her body was ablaze with heat. One of the jumbled voices uttered something about a fever, but Riley was past all comprehension. All she could do was focus on each painful breath, the cool cloths on her hot, dry face.

Finally, the heat left. The pain remained, but less so now that she wasn't burning up. The voice above her made more sense now.

The time eventually came when Riley opened her eyes, and she could make out things clearly. She was laying in a wooden room she hadn't seen before. It was large and round, and a couple doors led to different rooms. In the room were six regular sized beds and three massive beds resembling the one that Riley had at home.

Fiona and Ms. Moynihan were seated nearby, talking, and Roger was behind them at a table with a computer. Riley was still in dino mode, and something was tangled annoyingly around her tail. She rumbled and shifted, catching the attention of the others.

"Riley!" Fiona said, springing to her feet.

Riley settled down, resigning herself to a tangled tail. Fiona was smiling brightly as she went over to where Riley was laying. Roger ran up a set of stairs in the back.

"How do you feel?" Fiona asked, laying a hand on Riley's muzzle.

Riley cocked her head, then looked down at herself. When she moved, the healing cut on her neck stretched, and she made a note to move slowly. Her middle was all wrapped in white cloth. There was a dull pain in her belly, but not enough for her to complain. Her paw that had been bitten was wrapped tightly with thick splints, though she didn't get any pain from that wound.

In response to Fiona, Riley offered a toothy grin and nudged the girl's shoulder with her muzzle. Fiona laughed and hugged the muzzle with a startling furiosity.

Riley rumbled softly, lifting her eyes to Ms. Moynihan.

"When the team brought you back, you were in bad shape," Ms. Moynihan revealed. "Despite their efforts, you had lost so much blood. You were so weak… I feared you wouldn't make it. You were strong, though, and managed to survive the blood loss. Then, an infection set in. You were fevered, and we were afraid for your life all over again."

Riley's eyes widened, while Fiona's hold tightened. Riley crooned at Fiona in an attempt at comfort. She was fine now.

Feet thudded down the steps, causing Fiona to finally release Riley and turn. The boys were rushing down the steps, faces lighting up when they saw Riley.

"You're okay!" Max said in relief.

Buzz simply ran over,and Riley found herself in another hug.

"What were you thinking, running off on your own?" Buzz demanded, pulling back to stare into Riley's eyes. "None of us are a match for Veloci on our own."

"Especially when he goes full feral," Roger put in.

Riley pulled away from Buzz, a sudden thought making her rumble uncertainly. Had Fiona told the others her secret?

"I told them about Veloci," Fiona said.

Riley ducked her head in shame, but Buzz wasn't having any of that.

"Just because your dad's a bad dude, doesn't make you a bad guy." Buzz lifted Riley's muzzle. "You're our friend, and proved your loyalty when you defended Fiona."

"Although I'm afraid that means you cannot return to your own home," Ms. Moynihan said regretfully. "You'll have to stay in hiding, unless you want to return to your father."

Return? To what? To a scornful father would would only press her to reveal the squad's secrets, then banish her to some boarding school even if she obeyed? There was only a few good things in Veloci's household, not near enough to draw her away from her friends.

" **No,"** Riley growled with a firm shake of her head.

Buzz grinned widely. "I was hoping you'd say that. Oh, I just remembered!"

Buzz raced out of the room, much to everyone's amusement. The other three boys greeted Riley and said they were glad she would be staying.

A few minutes later, Buzz trotted back into the room. He had his hands behind his back, and a big grin on his face. He went up to Riley and proudly held out Carl.

" **Carl!"** Riley growled. She put her muzzle level with Buzz's hands, and the little mouse scurried up to stand on her forehead. " **How did you get him?"**

"Do you know a guy named Harold?" Buzz asked.

Startled, Riley nodded.

"He came here while you were still recovering," Buzz said. "It was kind of odd, he started talking about what a shame that you had disappeared and how he hoped that she was with friends, wherever she had gone. Then he handed over Carl and some of your belongings and said he trusted us to take care of 'her.' Max corrected him that Carl was a boy, and Harold just kind of nodded and said, 'why, yes, he is.' Then he had to leave."

"I got the sense that he's an okay guy," Fiona said thoughtfully. "He obviously knew that we have Riley here, but I don't think he will give us away."

Riley smiled fondly. She liked to think that Harold didn't know where she spent most of her days as of late, but he was as keen-eyed as an eagle. Most of all, she knew that Harold was looking out for her best interests. He would keep her location a secret from her father.

Then Riley yawned drowsily. Ms. Moynihan saw this and started herding the other teens out of the room.

"When you're feeling better, I'll give you a tour of your new home," Ms. Moynihan said. "It's right under the lighthouse, so the others can come by anytime, when it's not so late." The last part seemed directed more at the other teens, who waved sheepishly and filed out of the room.

"Will you be okay here?" Ms. Moynihan asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Riley nodded and laid her head down, contentedly closing her eyes. Okay? She was more than okay.

She was home.

* * *

 **A/N: I'm the queen at corny endings!** **I am considering making this into a trilogy, but I also wanted an ending that would work on its own in case I don't get the time for follow-up stories. If I do end up doing a trilogy, I will add an epilogue.**


	8. Epilogue

**A/N: Yes, this story will go on! It will be a three part story I'm calling the "Rilogy," because I can...**

 **I had so many readers for this, that I decided, why not, I'll continue it. Thanks!**

* * *

Veloci woke to the thrum of helicopter blades and a rushing wind across his face. He blinked blearily a couple times before his helicopter hovering over the treetops came into focus.

He dragged himself to his paws with a rattling hiss, wincing at the dull throb of pain in his side and the feeling of blood on the side of his jaw from the scratch.

He looked back up as one of his men appeared at the open door of the copter. A rope ladder was thrown down, then the man scrambled to the ground.

"Mr. Veloci!" the young man exclaimed when he landed beside the Velociraptor.

Veloci recognized the man -barely a man, really, having just left his teen years- as Robert from his voice and scent.

Robert pulled the medical pack off of his back and rifled through the dino and human medicines.

"We were worried when we lost sight of you, sir," Robert said. "What happened? Those perfect dinosaurs have never attacked you so badly before."

There had never been a need to, Veloci knew. They always seemed to prefer distraction, then run away. But he could clearly remember what had happened when he went full feral. By attacking Riley, he assumed that he had pushed them too far.

Veloci's attention was brought back to the present when Robert started wiping his cut. He hissed in pain, but Robert barely flinched. He finished up, then turned as two more men appeared from the trees.

The man in front was Frank, but more often called Crash. It was a well-earned nickname, as he couldn't go a day without crashing some vehicle or tripping over his own two feet.

Sure enough, Crash tripped over the brush and tumbled to the ground. His brother, Jeremy, skillfully avoided his flailing limbs and ran over to Veloci's other side.

"Where's Cody and Nash?" Robert asked, as if sensing that Veloci wanted to know where the other two men had gone.

"Getting the ATVs back in order." Jeremy looked at Veloci. "We lost the Spinosaurus. Sorry, sir."

Robert waved a hand before Veloci could snarl. "We'll sort that out later. Jer, catch that side."

It wasn't until Robert and Jeremy were holding his arms that Veloci realized his legs were shaking. He huffed at that, wincing again. The T-Rex or Triceratops must have damaged some ribs.

"Sir, how bad are you injured?" Robert asked. "Can you transform back?"

Veloci responded by transforming. Robert and Jeremy let him go, only to leap forward to catch him when his human legs gave out.

"Easy, sir," Robert said, easing the older man to the ground.

Veloci growled, both at his weakness and how Robert spoke so soothingly. Robert was honestly the only person who talked to him like just another human, a fact Veloci never knew how to take.

Robert took off his helmet and asked, "Where were you injured?"

Veloci reluctantly put a hand to his right side. Robert nodded and got to work, while Jeremy and Crash stood uncomfortably nearby.

Without his voice modulator, Robert sounded several years younger than he was. With his boyishly round face, bright blue eyes, and curly straw-yellow hair, he looked even younger. He also had a ridiculously upbeat attitude at pretty much any point in time. Not even Veloci could snap at the cheerful young man.

Within minutes, Robert had Veloci's side wrapped up. The pain had eased now, so Veloci stood back up. Robert stood with him, silently holding him by the elbow while Veloci regained his balance.

Robert's eyes went to the scratch that ran from under Veloci's eye to his chin. "Wow, I can see the ribs from an accidental hit -it wouldn't be the first- but they've never scratched you before. Was it that new Velociraptor?"

"Yes." Veloci gingerly touched the wound. "Riley did this."

Robert's medical bag dropped to the ground. "Wh-what? _Riley?_ But she's several hours away from here!"

"Apparently not," Veloci snapped. "She must have found the perfect dinosaurs and decided to hide them from me."

"I'll go to Kittery Point and speak with Harold myself," Robert said. "Maybe he has noticed something."

"And not told me?" Veloci scowled.

Robert ignored him as he went on in a musing tone, "Maybe that group of school kids she has been meeting with knows something. Although, Riley wouldn't let her ability slip. Wow, I wonder how long she's been hiding this."

"That girl is in so much trouble," Veloci said.

Crash and Jeremy glanced at each other, then started backing away. A mad Veloci could be a dangerous thing. Muttering excuses about checking on Cody and Nash, they darted off. Robert watched them go with amusement.

"You should really stop threatening to eat the staff, sir," Robert said. "They take you kind of seriously."

"It keeps them in line," Veloci said. He eyed Robert's calm stance. "Most of them."

Robert laughed as he grabbed onto the copter's ladder. "Go on, sir. I'll catch a ride with Cody, and head to Kittery Point. I'll keep you updated."

Meaning that Robert was indirectly telling Veloci to go back to RaptorDyne and wait. Veloci was used to this and there was no one else around, so he silently took the ladder and began to climb. He trusted Robert to get what information he could.

Robert waved a hand as Veloci reached the copter and was flown away. His head dropped to take in the dino battle ground, his expression falling.

"Riley," Robert breathed, catching sight of blood on the ground. "What have you gotten yourself into, little sister?"

Scooping up his pack, Robert scanned the forest. There was a clear patch of destruction in the direction that the perfect dinosaurs had first been spotted. His eyes flicked around, then he turned toward the clearing to get an ATV.

Something was up, and he was going to get to the bottom of it.

* * *

 **A/N: The next story will be called Dino Whisperer. I don't know how long it will take to get to it (I may finish a few other stories first) but it will be done.**


End file.
